Hotel on the Cay, Christiansted

I was looking at the Celebrity Shore excursions and there is a 6 hour trip Christiansted where you spend the afternoon lounging on the beach at Hotel on The Cay. Its 93 bucks. I discovered that I can get to Christiansted by taxi for a lot less money and I can get to hotel on the cay by a short boat ride. My question is will I be allowed to hang out at this hote beach if I am not on a cruise tour? Is the area open to the public or do I have to be with a cruise tour to hang out there?

Back in April, I Googled Hotel on the Cay and then got in touch with the public relations department via the info provided on their website. This is what I was told:

You are welcome to use their facilities. The ferry ride costs $3 for adults, $1 for children under the age of 13. They rent out chairs $5, cabana's for $10 and towels for $4 for people who come over on the cruise ships. They also have a restaurant that is open from 8am-4pm serving breakfast and lunch and drinks until around 7ish. Also the beach hut next to the restaurant that rents out jet ski, snorkeling gear, and other water activities is open to everyone. I was advised to make reservations in advance just to be on the safe side. The person that heard from in the public relations department was most helpful

How is this beach? Worth going here or are other beaches better (Sandcastle, Cane Bay, Carambola)?

We would like a beautiful place where we can swim and snorkel.